WOODS CROSS — The finishing touches are being put on Davis School District’s newest elementary school, and teachers will start moving in next week.

By Thursday, Aug. 21, Odyssey Elementary will open to the public for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:30 p.m.

The Woods Cross school is the first elementary school to be completed using a two-story design that is expected to be used for future district elementary schools.

The prototype was developed so that less land would be necessary and for energy-use savings.

Odyssey, in fact, is on track to be a “net zero” facility and qualify for “gold leaf” certification, according to Superintendent Bryan Bowles.

The Davis School District Board of Education approved $760,000 to install solar panels, and have applied for a grant from Rocky Mountain Power that would reimburse them for potentially half that amount.

Bowles hopes students will learn more about conserving energy and protecting the environment as a result of the school’s features.

School leaders plan to introduce innovations such as the “sOccket,” which is marketed by Harvard grads.

The soccer ball collects kinetic energy as it is kicked and the energy can later be used to power electrical appliances.

Besides standard curriculum with a nod to environmental issues and ideas, French studies will also take place in the new school.

Many students at Odyssey are coming from Foxboro Elementary in North Salt Lake, a French immersion school, so grades kindergarten through fourth will offer French coursework as well.

Approximately 600 students are expected to start when the doors open in the fall.

The school is located at 2050 S. 1955 West.

The next elementary schools planned to meet the needs of Davis County’s expanding population are in Farmington, east of 650 West and north of Glovers Lane, and in west Kaysville, south of 200 North and west of Antelope Way.